


Apologies if it BUGS you, but this title is a pun.

by NotReallyHere (Actuallysortahere)



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 22:36:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7140401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actuallysortahere/pseuds/NotReallyHere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Garleans move on the Aetherochemical Research Facility, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn await the Warrior of light.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apologies if it BUGS you, but this title is a pun.

**Author's Note:**

> This contains very minor spoilers retaining to the Warring Triad questline, specifically the quest brought with patch 3.3, Return of the Horde. It doesn't really reveal anything but on the offchance I recommend finishing the quests beforehand, just so you don't get annoyed at me.
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The green-brown maelstrom clouds of Azys Lla swirled beneath the floating colossus that was the Allagan Aethero-chemical research facility. It was there that the Scions of the Seventh dawn were gathering under the request of the mysterious Unukalhai in order to repel the soldiers of the Vth imperial legion under the leadership of Legatus van Hydrus.

“So, we are all gathered save for the Warrior of Light?” asked the Lalafellin student of Baldesion, her hood pulled in close to shield her from the worst of the savage winds that whipped across the surface of the allagan facility.  
“Aye, T’is only Harkas that we await” the masked figure of Unukalhai answerd. “And let us hope she arrives soon, lest the Vth legion get what they’re after before we have a chance to stop them.”  
“Or before we’re discovered by the Garlean patrols they left to guard the entrance…” Added Y’shtola, as she scanned the surface of the vessel they were atop for signs of the enemy. The four of them (as Urianger too had joined them, but he was far too deep in thought to comment) had ducked just inside the entranceway to the facility, keeping low to avoid the notice of the occasional squad of imperial soldiers that wandered the area. 

They’d last seen the Warrior of light in the forgotten knight just before the climax of the dragonsong war, and since then there’d been no rest for the scions, their focus now shifting from the wrath of Nidhogg to the primal triad and the Garleans that sought to control them. No doubt that Harkas too had been hard at work somewhere, helping those in need.  
“Thankfully, the area seems clear for the time being.” Y’shtola continued. “We’ve just got to hope Harkas doesn’t attract much attention when she arr-“  
Before she can finish, there’s a number of cries from nearby, just around the corner from their hiding place, in fact, as several Garlean soldiers appear in view, weapons already drawn. As quickly as they can react, the Scions duck down, hiding behind what cover they can find as they draw their weapons, expecting a fight. But the Garleans didn’t even seem to glance in their direction, and their cries are more distinct now. They’re not battle calls, they were cries of panic, of fear.  
“Sir! What do we do?! It’s tearing us to pieces!” One solider shouts.  
“What even is it? It’s terrifying sir! Some sort of giant insect! How do you expect us to hold against something that vicious?!” another bellows.  
The next soldier to appear is considerably more equipped. Thick, silvered armour and a fierce looking broadsword, this was clearly their commanding officer barking orders to his scattering squad, standing just at the edge of the research facilities entrance.  
“You are soldiers of the Emperor! You will hold, and you will not shame the name of Garlemald! If you continue running, then I shall cut you down myself! The empire has no need for cowards where it should have soldiers! Now return to formation and send this thing to the depths of h-“ the poor soul doesn’t finish his sentence before there’s a sickening crash and a crumpling of metal as a glowing red, barbed axe strikes him from behind, easily biting through the steel meant to protect him, his body spasming before it collapses, bringing the axe down with him, like a weapon propped in a pedestal.

“What…what could they be talking about?” Krile whispers, peering out from her hiding place. “Some new kind of Allagan creation? A new defense protocol?” she casts her gaze over to Y’shtola hoping for an answer.  
“No, I don’t believe so…the design of that axe looks similar to the weapons wielded by the Gnath Eidolon Ravana…and if that’s the case, then we better get inside before it realises we’re here…” The Miqo’te replies in a hushed tone, signalling Krile to activate the teleporter.

“I AM BUG!” comes a surprisingly feminine voice. “I AM BUG, AND YOU ARE RIGHT TO FEAR ME! I HAVE SHLAIN THOUSHANDSH OF GARLEANSH, AND YOU ARE JUSHT NUMBERSH TO ADD TO MY TALLY!” it continued, as a humanoid figure emerges from behind the wall and scuttling over towards the axe that had struck down the Garlean officer. Instead of the Black chitin that adorned the Primal Ravana, this creature had the slate grey carapace of one of his tribal worshippers, and a leaf green shawl draped over its shoulders that at least identified it as Vath, rather than Gnath, though what it was doing here was a mystery.

After wrenching the battleaxe from the spine of the Garlean with a spout of blood, the Vath turned to where the remaining soldiers had fled, revealing a peculiar, azure scaled tail, before calling out.  
“I AM BUG! WHERE ISH Y’SHTOLA?!” And suddenly it clicked in Y’shtolas head. Sighing, she slowly rises out from behind the control panel she had ducked behind.  
“Archon Y’shtola, what are you doing? The creature will see you!” Unukalhai whispered as loud as he could in order to carry the urgency of his tone.  
“There is no creature” she reassured the Scions, holstering her staff behind her back. “For you are no Vath, are you, Harkas?” she finishes, her hushed tone almost turning into a shout, and as she calls to the supposed Vath, it too turns to face her, a pink smile now visable between the spiked orange mandibles.

“Ah, there you are Y’shtolaa..I wash looking for you but all I could find wash Garleansh and they jusht tried to attack me..” The Warrior of light replies.  
“Never mind what you found, what are you wearing, Harkas?!” Krile shouts, sounding somewhat disgusted.  
“Oh, thish? The Vath gave it to me…I like the Vath…they…they make good Winesh…” Harkas answers as she strides over, looking somewhat unbalanced as she does so.  
“You’ve…you’ve been drinking? We call on you for aid and you show up drunk?!” Unukalhai scornfully asks. “What kind of hero are you?!”  
“Hey! I helped shave Ishgard. I helped kill Nidhogg and shave Eshtinien. And I helped the Vath find their place in the world. I had a few drinksh with the knightsh of Ishgard, then went to shpread the newsh to the Vath, and then they had a shelebration, and they make really, really good winesh.” The warrior replied, before leaning in and failing to whisper “I hear they have a shecret ingredient. Whatever it ish, it’sh shuper good. I have shome for you all if you want it, even if you got drinksh without me before…” as she starts to rummage through her bag.  
“No, we’re quite alright for the time being, thank you.” Y’shtola quickly interjects. “We have more important matters at hand for the time being. As we speak the Legatus is advancing through the research facility, growing ever closer to his prize. Let us just hope your drunken state does not prove a detriment to the fights we’ll inevitable have once inside.”  
Suddenly, without warning, Harkas spins round, immediately bringing her axe above her head before hurling it a good 30 feet into the chest of a Garlean soldier that had the misfortune to wander into the wrong place at the wrong time, much to the surprise of most of the Scions. No doubt Y’shtola had noticed him and opted to keep quiet, but either way this had soothed any doubts they had about Harkas’ current combat ability.

“Well, if you’re quite done here, we should head inside. The Legatus is already on the move.” Y’shtola continues, as she turns to the rest of the Scions, who are already preparing to enter.  
“Wait, wait…Y’shtola I..I got shomething I need to tell you firsht…in private.” Harkas interrupts, beckoning to the Miqo’te as she treks over towards where her axe lies.  
Pausing for a moment to wonder what Harkas could possibly need to tell her that she couldn’t say in front of the other Scions.  
“Krile, please prepare the teleporter. We’ll begin as soon as we return.” She says, before turning to follow the Warrior of Light.  
Hefting her axe back into its holster on her back, Harkas made sure that once Y’shtola had joined her, that they were just out of sight of the three other Scions.  
“So, what did you want to tell me, Harkas?” Y’shtola inquired. “We don’t have a lot of time to spare so please, make it quick.”  
Harkas quickly glances around, ensuring that no one would interrupt them, nor that anyone could potentially overhear, before gesturing for Y’shtola to come in closer. Tentatively, the Scion leaned towards the warrior, her cat-ears twitching slightly as the wind caught them, her mind racing with the possibilities that Harkas could speak.  
Harkas in turn, leans in, cupping one of her hands in the space between her somewhat discomforting mandibles and Y’shtolas ear, her mouth curling into a frown as her own thoughts scatter. She had planned to tell Y’shtola something altogether more…emotional, but at the last second her mind failed, and she only managed to whisper one thing.  
“I am bug.”  
With the message delievered, even though it was the wrong one, the warrior straightened up once again, and awaited the response. It took a moment for Y’shtola to realise that was all there was, and as she returned to her upright stance, her eyes narrowed, studying what little of the Au ra’s she could see.

Back at the teleporters control panel, things were proceeding smoothly. The teleporter was ready to be activated, and as they awaited the return of Y’shtola and Harkas, they hear a very loud, and very sudden clatter of wood and gemstone on metal, followed immediately by a yelp, more of surprise than pain. A few seconds later, Y’shtola reappears, once again holstering her staff behind her, followed by Harkas, who had a hand slightly rubbing the edge of her insectile helm. As they drew close, the five grouped up. “Art thou all suitably prepared?” Urianger inquired, and as he’s met with a round of affirmatives, the white-blue light erupts from the floor beside them as the teleporter bursts into life.  
“Then let us be off.” He finishes, as he enters the light and immediately vanishes, followed by Unukalhai and the Harkas, who glances back at Y’shtola for just a second before letting the light engulf her.

“So…what did she tell you?” Krile asks after a moment of silence.  
“Oh, nothing important. Just something trivial that seemed more important due to her inebriated state.” Y’shtola replies.  
“Oh, how…disappointing.” Krile sighs. “And here I was thinking it’d be something interesting.” Sounding obviously dejected as she enters the light. True, what Harkas had told Y’shtola was something more than trivial, but unknown to the warrior, the Miqo’te Scion knew full well that wasn’t what Harkas had originally intended to tell her, though what that was she could only guess. There’d be time for assumptions later. Now was the time for action.


End file.
